In an attempt to account for the somewhat inconsistent findings between healthy and demented populations, Finnigan and Robertson19 suggested that for the latter, enhanced slow wave power may be related to alpha slowing and transitions of the peak resting frequency from alpha to theta, resulting in enhanced theta power. As noted by Klimesch14, parallel reductions in alpha and increases in theta power, which are often observed in older adults, may be related to age-related neurological disorders and not aging per se. However, when alpha slowing is not present, high theta power may be a marker of healthy neurocognitive function19. This conclusion is consistent with our findings. Here, we analyzed data from a population of healthy seniors, excluding carefully participants who presented evidence of neurological or other age-related pathologies. We did not observe significant associations between age, individual peak alpha frequency and theta power.
